'Million Dollar Quartet' to perform in Greenville

Wednesday

Nov 21, 2012 at 4:17 PM

Dec. 4, 1956 is one of the most important dates in history, but it's mostly unfamiliar to the general public. That day saw Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash gather for a seemingly impromptu jam session at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tenn. This was dubbed at the time, by the local newspapers, “The Million Dollar Quartet” and the name stuck for the first supergroup.

By BART BISHOPFor 85-26.com

Dec. 4, 1956 is one of the most important dates in history, but it's mostly unfamiliar to the general public. That day saw Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash gather for a seemingly impromptu jam session at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tenn. This was dubbed at the time, by the local newspapers, “The Million Dollar Quartet” and the name stuck for the first supergroup. In 2006, this story was adapted into a musical by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott and ended up on Broadway in 2010. The musical opened Tuesday and continues Thursday at 7:30 p.m., with performances through Sunday, Nov. 25, the show will be at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts in Greenville for the first time. Director Eric Schaeffer, who has been with the show since Chicago in 2008 and on Broadway, says the allure of “Million Dollar Quartet” is how it manages to humanize these four larger-than-life icons. At the heart of the show is record producer Sam Phillips, played by Vince Nappo. He's been dubbed “the father of rock ‘n' roll” and fulfills that role for the four musicians. According to Schaeffer, the five men are like a family, with “Jerry Lee Lewis as the baby that whines when he doesn't get his way.” Phillips is the catalyst that brought them all together that day, initially having Carl Perkins, with “Blue Suede Shoes” as his major hit at that point, come into the studio to record with unknown Jerry Lee Lewis on piano. As the legend goes, Elvis, who had been on “The Ed Sullivan Show” just four months previously, happened to be in town and showed up with a girlfriend. Johnny Cash's appearance is up for speculation, with some saying he showed up with Carl Perkins and others saying he showed up after Elvis. The show itself takes the position that Phillips called Cash up after Elvis popped in, but Schaeffer emphasizes that strict historical accuracy is not the point. In fact, the entire 90 minutes chronicling a day encompass events that actually took place over 18 months. “But everything in the show,” says Schaeffer, “actually happened, just not necessarily in that order.” The plot structure involves Philips relating to the audience his discovery of each musician as they enter for the first time, followed by a brief moment between Philips and the musician. During these moments Phillips is in the foreground while the cast freezes in the background. Phillips then asks each musician to play something, and then everyone unfreezes. There are also flashbacks to the lives of each musician interspersed throughout the narrative. The drama comes from Phillips's attempts to re-sign Johnny Cash to a new contract, unaware that Cash has already signed with Columbia Records. Regardless of minute details, the goal with the show is to capture the essence of each man. That means, however, avoiding caricature. “All of the performers are real musicians,” referring to Cody Slaughter as Elvis, Martin Kaye as Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Britton Lyons as Carl Perkins, and David Elkins as Johnny Cash. “It's funny,” Schaeffer says, “but when we first started the show the audience thought they were lip synching with a tape.” As it turns out, however, all the music is performed live and on-stage, creating a different kind of musical without an orchestra pit. That music includes some of the biggest hits of each performer, including “Hound Dog,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” and “I Walk the Line.” These are songs that, according to Schaeffer, have “lasted decades because the lyrics and melodies are smart yet simple.” Tickets range between $45 and $75. For more information go to www.peacecenter.org or call 864-467-3000 or 800-888-7768.